…LMPS unveils collaborative pact with RNP of Rwanda
Seabata Mahao
Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) will host a pass-out ceremony for the police recruits class of 2022 at the Police Training College (PTC) in Maseru today.
The one-of-its-kind ceremony will be graced by inter alia the presence of His Majesty King Letsie III along with his cabinet, as well as international guests in the persons of police commissioners from Rwanda, Eswatini and Namibia.
Police Spokesperson Senior Inspector Mpiti Mopeli explained that, LMPS will celebrate the pass out ceremony as it is named by the police authority for the 294 police recruits who have successfully passed and finished their training. Among the list, there are 161 male recruits and 133 female recruits.
He added that there were 298 recruits in admission but that four recruits being one male recruit and three female recruits passed away at the initial stages of training.
Mopeli stated that, the delay of the pass out happened because of the challenges the PTC officials had so they had to extend their time frame until they are fully satisfied. He indicated that, the police recruits are fully trained especially about handling the brutality matters and public engagements.
Ironically, the graduating class is the one which had been seen in the streets of Maseru during their practicals in December last year mete out an onslaught of brutality against members of the public thus causing a public outcry about the young would-be cops glad in their unusual khaki uniform, which will soon be unveiled as the new official police regalia at a yet-to-be-announced time.
Meanwhile, the commissioners of LMPS and the Rwandan National Police (RNP) unveiled a collaborative pact at the Police Headquarters in Maseru this week in the build-up to today’s pass-out ceremony.
Police Commissioner, Holomo Molibeli stated that they have welcomed their brothers from the RNP to grace the event as a gesture of brotherliness. He said that LMPS is going to host the passing out ceremony that Basotho have not witnessed before.
Molibeli mentioned that they will be joined by their brothers from different African countries and the first guests to arrive are the RNP. He highlighted that LMPS and RNP have the bilateral corporation that they signed on August 24 2021 when he visited Rwanda with his entourage discussing training matters including national crimes, terrorism, cybercrimes and others.
“When we work together with other institutions we can ensure that the whole world is safe. It is one of the reasons we are here today as a gesture to ensure that, bilateral corporation is safe and it is being realized,†said Molibeli.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of the RNP, Dan Munyuza said that it is a pleasure for them to be in Lesotho following the meeting they had five months ago. He explained that, in the meeting they covered a number of issues that define the areas where they shall corporate and they committed to train their police officers in different level of the institutions.
Munyuza highlighted that RNP will be happy to train officers from LMPS and also they are ready to send their officers to come to train in Lesotho with the LMPS. Also added that, they have discussed the areas of operations in fighting cybercrimes, transnational crimes, standing formations, expertise and learning from each other so that they can deliver peace and security that is led by the two countries.
“We witnessed a motto that LMPS has that of the community policing which is the motto that brings police to the community as a way to address their security issues and fight crimes. We can also learn and supplement from what we have learnt as they are good practices,†Manyuza said.
